Aluthgama violence

Abstract:

Despite the anticipation of peace and reconciliation restoring in the country following the defeat of the LTTE and the elimination of war in 2009, what happened in the aftermath of the war is a history. It was the Sinhala Buddhist Supremacism with the support of extremist forces like Bodu Bala Sena(BBS) and Sinhala Ravaya(SR) that attempted to juxtapose the minorities as ‘Others’ against majority Buddhists with the patronage of then government. Aluthgama violence against Muslims on 15th June 2014 was the culmination of the well-orchestrated continuous vitriolic anti-Muslim campaign undertaken by these extremist forces. Against this backdrop, this study is an attempt to explore the causes and implications of Aluthgama violence upon the minority Muslims living in the area in particular and the communities living there in general. This is a qualitative study which employs data gathering tools such as in-depth interviews for primary data collection, coupled with secondary data relevant to the study. The findings show that the international and local dimensions that played a significant role in the advancement of Sinhala Buddhist Supremacism in the country and the Aluthgama saga, purportedly unleashed with the tacit approval of the government, was a stepping stone for a major catastrophe to come through. The violence resulted in the death doll of 3 Muslims, injured 88 people, vandalized 3 mosques and 174 houses, burnt 79 shops, and damaged 37 three wheelers and 15 other vehicles of Muslims. It also shows that the BBS, with its political ideology which is a post war phenomenon, is causing irreparable damage to peace and reconciliation that prevails among the communities in the country. In conclusion, the study postulated that it is imperative on the rulers to ensure that the rule and law in the country is upheld, regardless of the ethnic, religious and other differences and the civil society leaders including religious leaders representing the Muslim Umma to work together in the best interest of the community to restore peace and harmony in the country.